Three major animal-welfare organizations on Monday appealed a ruling on Leona Helmsley’s estate, accusing the trustees of her foundation of undertaking a “scheme to deprive dog welfare charities” from the hotel heiress’s intended share in her billions, says The New York Times.

The Humane Society of the United States, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Maddie’s Fun asked the Manhattan Surrogate’s Court to reverse a February ruling allowing the stewards of the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to spend the money as they see fit. An initial $136-million round of grants in April focused on medical charities, with $1-million going to animal groups.

The charities contend that Ms. Helmsley, who died in 2007, specified dog welfare as the chief beneficiary of her estimated $5-billion estate. A statement on the trust’s Web site disputes that assertion and notes that both the Surrogate’s Court and the New York attorney general’s office have backed its position.

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